…literary tomfoolery and other nonsensical musings…

Category Archives: Gear

I like Cafepress because they will print you anything you want and the turn-around time is very fast. Their prices could be a bit cheaper, but considering that most brick-and-mortar screen-printing places have additional set-up fees — with Cafepress they are included — they are still very reasonably priced.

Like Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs I’m a big fan of baseball caps. Not only are they practical, providing shade for your eyes; but you don’t ever have to worry about how your hair looks. Until you take off your cap of course hahaha!

Anyhow, I decided to custom-order a bibliophile cap from Cafepress and this is what I came up with!

Ladies and gentlemen, I have reached utter nerddom! No doubt distinguished scholars, nerds, geeks, engineers, scientists, and plain lunatics would agree that a gentleman or lady’s wardrobe would be incomplete without a pocket protector. Behold this little gem that I picked up at PocketProtectors.com. Made in the USA from clear and/or white vinyl, the pocket protector will not only make you look handsomely stylish, but also protect your pocket from leaky pens and pointy pencils. There are several versions to choose from, including the Stealth version, the entirely clear Invisible version, and the Badge Holder version that I chose. Ordering was a breeze, the price reasonable, and I received mine two days after ordering.

Beware: with a pocket protector you will be the envy of everyone at the plant, office, lab or asylum; and a saucy minx might also try to take advantage of you and steal your treasured possession.

I’m always glad to see a new product from 5.11 Tactical, and as usual, they don’t disappoint. The TFL (Tactical Footwear Laces) series is a new look at the old concept of tying your shoes. Designed from the ground up by 5.11 engineers with input from US Navy SEALs, Russian Spetsnaz, British SAS, Israeli cooks, Al Quaeda terrorists, Cub Scouts, Swedish blogger Blondinbella and the cast of Jersey Shore, the TFL series were field tested for almost four hours over the rugged terrain of a warehouse floor in Modesto, CA.

While conventional laces are only concerned with keeping your footgear tied, TFLs are part of a complete tactical system. Made from mil-spec 550 parachute cord, TFLs contain multiple strands that can be unraveled and deployed in any number of tactically tactical ways. Need to snare a rabbit? Make a tripwire for a grenade/mason jar booby trap? Tie down your trunk after a particularly fruitful trip to IKEA? Tie up a blonde Swedish blogger? With TFLs, you’ll always be prepared. Plus, with a piece of turquoise or a .50 cal casing you can turn them into a bolo tie! Never be caught unprepared for an impromptu dinner party again!

Not only are TFLs functional, they’re aesthetically pleasing, too. They come in every camo pattern in use by every major military in the world for the past 50 years (because who’d want to be the idiot wearing Flecktarn BDUs with Alpenflage laces on their boots?) as well as basic black, day-glo orange, and pink paisley.

I bought a pair to try, and man do my feet feel tactical now. I even showed them to Kang, who said “that’s nice dear, now go mow the damn lawn!”

I’m a pretty easy-going fellow, I don’t obsess about things and I’m quite modest… Just ask my wife. All things considered, I do have some standards when it comes to writing instruments however. For example, if you are looking for a cheap, unpretentious pen, you can do no wrong with a ubiquitous Mont Blanc Meisterstück.

Whenever I look for fine writing instruments, I prefer to buy pens and pencils made in either Germany or Japan. The attention to detail and excellent manufacturing mechanisms in place in those two countries mean that you get a superior product every time. When you buy a pencil from a German company, manufactured in Japan, it’s pretty much guaranteed that writing bliss is only moments away: the Staedtler Integrity 9505 mechanical pencil is a case in point.

Now Dave on his blog, Dave’s Mechanical Pencils, did not give the Staedtler high marks, much in part because he had a breakage factor. He did however write up a very thorough review, so I’m not going to elaborate on this pencil by doing my own. But, I will mention that during my own testing I had very few breakage issues, less so than with other pencils, so I guess it all depends upon how you prefer to write. My touch is light as a feather. Until next time my friends…